1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to three-layered metal cables usable as reinforcement elements for articles made of rubber and/or plastics material.
It relates in particular to the reinforcement of tires, more particularly to the reinforcement of the carcass reinforcement of tires of industrial vehicles such as heavy vehicles.
2. Description of the Related Art
Steel cables (“steel cords”) for tires, as a general rule, are formed of wires of perlitic (or ferro-perlitic) carbon steel, hereinafter referred to as “carbon steel”, the carbon content of which (% by weight of steel) is generally between 0.1% and 1.2%, the diameter of these wires most frequently being between 0.10 and 0.40 mm (millimeters). A very high tensile strength is required of these wires, generally greater than 2000 MPa, preferably greater than 2500 MPa, which is obtained owing to the structural hardening which occurs during the phase of work-hardening of the wires. These wires are then assembled in the form of cables or strands, which requires the steels used also to have sufficient ductility in torsion to withstand the various cabling operations.
For reinforcing in particular carcass reinforcements of heavy-vehicle tires, nowadays most frequently what are called “layered” steel cables (“layered cords”) or “multi-layer” steel cables formed of a central layer and one or more practically concentric layers of wires arranged around this central layer are used. These layered cables, which favour greater contact lengths between the wires, are preferred to the older “stranded” cables (“strand cords”) owing firstly to greater compactness, and secondly to lesser sensitivity to wear by fretting. Among layered cables, a distinction is made in particular, in known manner, between compact-structured cables and cables having tubular or cylindrical layers.
The layered cables most widely found in the carcasses of heavy-vehicle tires are cables of the formula L+M or L+M+N, the latter generally being intended for the largest tires. These cables are formed in known manner of an inner layer of L wire(s), surrounded by a layer of M wires which itself is surrounded by an outer layer of N wires, with generally L varying from 1 to 4, M varying from 3 to 12 and N varying from 8 to 20; the assembly may possibly be wrapped by an external wrapping wire wound in a helix around the final layer.
In order to fulfil their function as reinforcement for tire carcasses, the layered cables must first of all have good flexibility and high endurance under flexion, which implies in particular that their wires are of relatively low diameter, preferably less than 0.28 mm, more preferably less than 0.25 mm, and generally smaller than that of the wires used in conventional cables for crown reinforcements of tires.
These layered cables are furthermore subjected to major stresses during travel of the tires, in particular to repeated flexure or variations in curvature, which cause friction at the level of the wires, in particular as a result of the contact between adjacent layers, and therefore wear, and also fatigue; they must therefore have high resistance to what is called “fatigue-fretting” phenomena.
Finally, it is important for them to be impregnated as much as possible with rubber, and for this material to penetrate into all the spaces between the wires forming the cables, because if this penetration is insufficient, there then form empty channels along the cables, and the corrosive agents, for example water, which are likely to penetrate into the tires for example as a result of cuts, move along these channels and into the carcass of the tire. The presence of this moisture plays an important part in causing corrosion and in accelerating the above degradation processes (what are called “fatigue-corrosion” phenomena), compared with use in a dry atmosphere.
All these fatigue phenomena which are generally grouped together under the generic term “fatigue-fretting-corrosion” are at the origin of gradual degeneration of the mechanical properties of the cables, and may adversely affect the life thereof under the very harshest running conditions.
In order to improve the endurance of layered cables in heavy-vehicle tire carcasses, in which in known manner the repeated flexural stresses may be particularly severe, it has for a long time been proposed to modify the design thereof in order to increase, in particular, their ability to be penetrated by rubber, and thus to limit the risks due to corrosion and to fatigue-corrosion.
There have for example been proposed layered cables of the construction 3+9+15 which are formed of an inner layer of 3 wires surrounded by an intermediate layer of 9 wires and an outer layer of 15 wires, the diameter of the wires of the central or inner layer being or not being greater than that of the wires of the other layers. These cables cannot be penetrated as far as the core owing to the presence of a channel or capillary at the centre of the three wires of the inner layer, which remains empty after impregnation by the rubber, and therefore favorable to the propagation of corrosive media such as water.
The publication RD (Research Disclosure) No. 34370 describes cables of the structure 1+6+12, of the compact type or of the type having concentric tubular layers, formed of an inner layer formed of a single wire, surrounded by an intermediate layer of 6 wires which itself is surrounded by an outer layer of 12 wires. The ability to be penetrated by rubber can be improved by using diameters of wires which differ from one layer to the other, or even within one and the same layer. Cables of construction 1+6+12, the penetration ability of which is improved owing to appropriate selection of the diameters of the wires, in particular to the use of a central wire of larger diameter, have also been described, for example in documents EP-A-648 891 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,994) or WO-A-98/41682 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,110).
In order to improve further, relative to these conventional cables, the penetration of the rubber into the cable, there have been proposed multilayer cables having a central layer surrounded by at least two concentric layers, for example cables of the formula 1+6+N, in particular 1+6+11, the outer layer of which is unsaturated (incomplete), thus ensuring better ability to be penetrated by rubber (see, for example, patent documents EP-A-719 889 (U.S. Pat. No. 5,697,204) and WO-A-98/41682 (U.S. Pat. No. 6,667,110). The proposed constructions make it possible to dispense with the wrapping wire, owing to better penetration of the rubber through the outer layer and the self-wrapping which results; however, experience shows that these cables are not penetrated right to the centre by the rubber, or in any case not yet optimally.
Furthermore, it should be noted that an improvement in the ability to be penetrated by rubber is not sufficient to ensure a sufficient level of performance. When they are used for reinforcing tire carcasses, the cables must not only resist corrosion, but also must satisfy a large number of sometimes contradictory criteria, in particular of tenacity, resistance to fretting, high degree of adhesion to rubber, uniformity, flexibility, endurance under repeated flexing or traction, stability under severe flexing, etc.
Thus, for all the reasons set forth previously, and despite the various recent improvements which have been made here or there on such and such a given criterion, the best cables used today in carcass reinforcements for heavy-vehicle tires remain limited to a small number of layered cables of highly conventional structure, of the compact type or the type having cylindrical layers, with a saturated (complete) outer layer; these are essentially cables of constructions 3+9+15 or 1+6+12 as described previously.